For Mass. Officials, Pouting Is a Form of Political Expression
Massachusetts voters didn’t like the old marijuana law, so they changed it. Some Massachusetts officials don’t like the new law, so they’re, well, pouting.
Today is the first day Massachusetts adults will no longer have to fear arrest for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana. Under the new system, approved by 65% of commonwealth voters on Election Day, violators will now be subject to a $100 civil citation and nothing more.
The question now is whether those law enforcement officials who campaigned against the decriminalization initiative will respect the will of the voters and make a good-faith effort to implement this modest reform. So far, there hasn’t been much evidence this will be the case. In fact, in the months following the election, many of these officials have behaved as though the matter were still up for debate.
Also potentially troubling is a recommendation made by the commonwealth’s office of public safety for cities and towns to consider passing local ordinances enhancing penalties for public marijuana use. Although it’s too early to tell exactly what the implications might be, the effect could be an end-run around the will of the voters. We’ll keep an eye on that.
Meanwhile, officials have relied on two main arguments as they seek to prolong a debate that should have ended on Election Day: 1) that they lack the competence to sort out the details of the law, and 2) that the voters were naïve dupes who allowed themselves to get suckered by “legalizers” intent on creating chaos with an unenforceable law.
So far, demeaning the voters and calling attention to their own incompetence hasn’t won very many people over, despite the wide coverage their tantrums have received in the press. The more paternalistic and condescending they sound, the more it looks like these opponents are actually hoping for the lawless chaos they’ve been clamoring about for months.
If so, they’re sure to be disappointed. Voters understood exactly what they were doing and simply want the penalties for small marijuana violations to match the severity of the violation. And they have confidence in the ability of Massachusetts cops to write a $100 ticket and move on, even if their superiors don’t.
Tagged with: decriminalization and law enforcement and Massachusetts by the author
6 comments
Great post Dan… I’ve been waiting for this sort of news. The complaints by attorneys and cops against the will of the voters is the same odious bullshit they’ve been getting in Colorado since Denver passed SAFER reforms.
It is a huge conflict of interest to have public officials lobbying against laws before and after the election, but let them pout. MPP is rocking at the state level! Once the priority police for the new administration exhaust themselves of saying drug policy reform is not important, the realities in MA and MI will be more evident. Marijuana law reform is not controversial, it is a majority opinion, and exactly the change we need.
Maybe next election the “duped” voters should vote someone who has thier interests in mind, and not pushing thier own beliefs.
I could not agree more. It is making law enforcement have to focus on real crimes instead of the easy bust. If anything I would think it would help them, free them up to fight harsh crimes. All the ones that oppose legalizing it are the ones who have a financial interest in it staying illegal. Prison guards, police officers, drug testing companies, probation officers.
I am concerned. All it takes is a few knuckleheads; and these elitist clowns will be off to the races proposing devious ways to chip away at our new found freedoms here in Massachusetts.
MPP should refocus its efforts towards promoting smart usage of marijuana the same way that beer and liquior companies campaign against drunk driving. Misbehavior like:
Blatant Marijuana use in Public or new Schools
Stoned Drivers
Will be fodder for the drug war establishment to roll back our newfound gains. Someone has to make the point that all of their scare mongering about the streets collapsing and the sky falling once this is passed was all bull and earge people to use there heads. Maybe even demonize the other side a little. Create a character like “Seargent Kick Ass” or something…
It’s the Pharmaceutical companies that PAY to keep pot illegal. They stand to lose MILLIONS if more people use medical pot.
They will try and sandbag this new freedom.
Canna is Manna from GOD.
420
The pouting by the police in Massachusetts has been pretty amazing. They are complaining about how they would ever know, in the field, is someone is holding more than an ounce. [They are capable of operating sophisticated radar and laser equipment. I'd hope that they can deal with a hand held scale.]
Now the cry has gone out from the police suggesting additional fines for people who smoke marijuana in public. The police are suggesting that they can do nothing if someone lights up. Well, duh, if someone lights up in public then give them the $100 ticket for possession and confiscate their pot. Seems simple enough. The law is not that complex.
But the last straw for me is the fact that they claim that they cannot write tickets because they don’t have the right forms. [This despite the fact that the law was passed two months ago.] Somehow they cannot figure out that it is as easy as checking “Other” on the forms most of them have now and writing in “Marijuana Possession, under one ounce”. In fact, the State Department of Public Safety created and made available a model citation from which officers can print from the Internet and copy for use. But the officers are moaning about not having the right forms.
I have confidence that it will all work out and that disaster will not befall my state, regardless of what law enforcement says. However, it is just disappointing that they are not just taking it straight up, “This was passed by 65% of voters”, and enforcing it as written.
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